Safety Harness Motion Detector Systems and Methods for Use

ABSTRACT

In an illustrative embodiment, systems and methods for verifying safety compliance of a worker positioned on a building structure utilize a motion detector module (MDM) for attaching to a wearable safety harness, where the harness has a lifeline attachment feature for connecting the safety harness to a lifeline anchored to the building structure. The MDM may include a motion sensor for detecting movement of the worker and processing circuitry for detecting, from signals provided by the motion sensor, significant movement indicative of the safety harness being properly worn by the worker and/or proper attachment of the safety harness to a lifeline, and translating the significant movements into compliance information. The MDM may include a proximate sensor for detecting contact between the attachment feature on the harness and a fastener on the lifeline for verifying the compliance information.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of and claims priority to U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 17/870,708, entitled “Safety Harness MotionDetector Systems and Methods for Use,” filed Jul. 21, 2022, which is acontinuation-in-part of and claims priority to U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 17/350,274, entitled “Safety Harness Motion Detector Systemsand Methods for Use,” filed Jun. 17, 2021, which is a continuation ofand claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/144,963,entitled “Safety Harness Motion Detector Systems and Methods for Use,”filed Jan. 8, 2021 (now U.S. Pat. No. 11,065,481, issued Jul. 20, 2021),which is a continuation-in-part of and claims priority to U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/878,324, entitled “Safety Harness MotionDetector Systems and Methods for Use,” filed May 19, 2020 (now U.S. Pat.No. 10,909,831, issued Feb. 2, 2021). All above identified applicationsare hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.

BACKGROUND

During the housing construction process, in accordance with OccupationalSafety and Health Administration (OSHA) guidelines, each worker isrequired to wear fall protection equipment including a body harness anda lanyard or lifeline that is releasably anchored to the building toprotect against injury. One example of such fall protection equipment isa Velocity Harness and Vertical Lifeline Assembly (VLA) by Guardian FallProtection of Mansfield, MA. The VLA is designed to be fastened to asturdy Temper Anchor on the building (e.g., connected to the roof duringroofing). Since construction workers are frequently paid by piecework,and the anchored tether or lifeline is viewed as an impediment to speed,many workers elect to not wear the VLA in hopes of earning a higherhourly income. However, this presents a legal problem for the contractorbecause the contractor is held legally responsible whenever a worker isfound to be not wearing a VLA. Further, this presents a potentialinsurance hazard in the event of injury.

SUMMARY OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

Typically, a job site will have several roof workers, sometimes up toten or even more. While technology exists for tracking on-the-go workerswhich can be used to identify locations of roofing teams, thesesolutions lack information regarding the motion status of the worker andthe status of compliance with donning of safety equipment. The systems,methods, apparatus, circuit designs, and software algorithms describedherein form a solution for enabling a roofing contractor to monitorcompliance of workers on a job site with donning a safety harnessassembly while working.

The systems, methods, apparatus, circuit designs, and softwarealgorithms created by the inventors will enable a contractor to monitorroof workers at multiple job sites from a single application (e.g.,smart device app, browser-based application, or portal to network-baseda monitoring platform) to verify that each worker is compliant inwearing necessary safety equipment. In the event that a worker is notwearing the requisite safety apparel, the contractor can takeappropriate action, such as calling the worker by phone or sending asupervisor to the job site to resolve the problem.

In one aspect, the present disclosure relates to a Motion DetectorModule (MDM) for attachment to the Vertical Lifeline Assembly (VLA) toensure attachment of the VLA to the harness. For example, the MDM may beattached to the VLA close to an attachment point of the VLA to theharness. Alternatively, the MDM may be attached to the harness close tothe attachment point. The MDM may contain a motion sensor, such as anaccelerometer or gyroscope, for detecting physical motion of the VLAsuch as occurs while a worker is wearing a harness with attached VLA andengaging in the activity of installing shingles and performing othertypical tasks required for building a roof. The MDM may contain a radiofrequency transceiver, such as a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi transceiver, forsending information to a separate computing device. Alternatively, theMDM may contain a communications transceiver for transmittinginformation over a cable connection, such as an optical cabletransceiver or a wire cable transceiver. The separate computing device,in some examples, may be a cell phone carried by a worker, a tabletcomputing device at the work site, or a communications box disposed atthe work site. The cell phone, for example, may be executing an app thatis configured to collect information from an MDM and forward theinformation via a network connection such as a cellular networkconnection or Wi-Fi connection to a coordinating application developedfor contractor management of workers. The communications box, similarly,may collect information from a set of MDMs carried by workers at a jobsite and communicate this information, via a cellular network connectionor Wi-Fi connection, to a management application installed by thecontractor on a remote computing device. The management application willallow the contractor to track the performance status of the worker atthe job site.

The MDM may utilize, in addition to a motion sensor, one or moredetection circuits of differing types to provide verification of workercompliance status. In one such embodiment, an inductive proximity sensoris provided to confirm physical attachment between respective attachmentfeatures of the VLA and the safety harness. In one example, a metalharness ring on the safety harness is configured to securely attach ametal fastener on the lifeline of the VLA. The inductive proximitysensor, according to this example, is adapted to detect contact betweenthe harness ring and metal fastener and generate a signal providing apositive indication of such contact. The inductive proximity sensor mayalso generate a signal providing a negative indication when such contactis broken, including an alarm signal. Physical detection of contactbetween attachment features may thus provide a reliable verification ofthe attachment of the VLA to the safety harness.

The forgoing general description of the illustrative implementations andthe following detailed description thereof are merely exemplary aspectsof the teachings of this disclosure and are not restrictive.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of the specification, illustrate one or more embodiments and,together with the description, explain these embodiments. Theaccompanying drawings have not necessarily been drawn to scale. Anyvalues dimensions illustrated in the accompanying graphs and figures arefor illustration purposes only and may or may not represent actual orpreferred values or dimensions. Where applicable, some or all featuresmay not be illustrated to assist in the description of underlyingfeatures. In the drawings:

FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1D are block diagrams of example systems formonitoring safety apparel compliance in a construction worker;

FIG. 1C is a block diagram of an example system for monitoring safetyapparel compliance in multiple construction workers at multiple jobsites;

FIGS. 2A-C are flow charts of example methods for monitoring safetyapparel compliance in a construction worker;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a schematic circuit layout for an examplemotion detection module;

FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram of example circuitry for a motion detectionmodule;

FIG. 5 is an example timing diagram for motion detection in a motiondetection module;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an example system for monitoring elevationof one or more construction workers at a job site;

FIG. 7 is a flow chart of an example method for determining elevation ofone or more construction workers at a job site;

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a schematic circuit layout for an examplemotion detection module with elevation detection;

FIG. 9 is a diagram representing example measurements collected inrelation to a worker during a day of work;

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of an example apparatus for monitoring safetyapparel compliance in a construction worker;

FIG. 11 is a block diagram of a schematic circuit layout for an exampleinductive proximity sensor module; and

FIGS. 12A and 12B are a block diagrams of example systems for monitoringsafety apparel compliance in a construction worker.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

The description set forth below in connection with the appended drawingsis intended to be a description of various, illustrative embodiments ofthe disclosed subject matter. Specific features and functionalities aredescribed in connection with each illustrative embodiment; however, itwill be apparent to those skilled in the art that the disclosedembodiments may be practiced without each of those specific features andfunctionalities.

Reference throughout the specification to “one embodiment” or “anembodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, orcharacteristic described in connection with an embodiment is included inat least one embodiment of the subject matter disclosed. Thus, theappearance of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” invarious places throughout the specification is not necessarily referringto the same embodiment. Further, the particular features, structures orcharacteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or moreembodiments. Further, it is intended that embodiments of the disclosedsubject matter cover modifications and variations thereof.

It must be noted that, as used in the specification and the appendedclaims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referentsunless the context expressly dictates otherwise. That is, unlessexpressly specified otherwise, as used herein the words “a,” “an,”“the,” and the like carry the meaning of “one or more.” Additionally, itis to be understood that terms such as “left,” “right,” “top,” “bottom,”“front,” “rear,” “side,” “height,” “length,” “width,” “upper,” “lower,”“interior,” “exterior,” “inner,” “outer,” and the like that may be usedherein merely describe points of reference and do not necessarily limitembodiments of the present disclosure to any particular orientation orconfiguration. Furthermore, terms such as “first,” “second,” “third,”etc., merely identify one of a number of portions, components, steps,operations, functions, and/or points of reference as disclosed herein,and likewise do not necessarily limit embodiments of the presentdisclosure to any particular configuration or orientation.

Furthermore, the terms “approximately,” “about,” “proximate,” “minorvariation,” and similar terms generally refer to ranges that include theidentified value within a margin of 20%, 10% or preferably 5% in certainembodiments, and any values therebetween.

All of the functionalities described in connection with one embodimentare intended to be applicable to the additional embodiments describedbelow except where expressly stated or where the feature or function isincompatible with the additional embodiments. For example, where a givenfeature or function is expressly described in connection with oneembodiment but not expressly mentioned in connection with an alternativeembodiment, it should be understood that the inventors intend that thatfeature or function may be deployed, utilized, or implemented inconnection with the alternative embodiment unless the feature orfunction is incompatible with the alternative embodiment.

FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate block diagrams of example systems 100, 140for monitoring safety apparel compliance in a roofing worker 102 using amotion detection module (MDM) 104 attached to a component of the safetyapparel. The MDM 104 may monitor motion in the component of the safetyapparel and, upon lack of motion detection (e.g., the worker 102 is notwearing the safety apparel component), the MDM 104 may issue ashort-range radio frequency (RF) communication via an interimcommunication unit 114 (e.g., cell phone, tablet computer, or otherWi-Fi or Ethernet-enabled communication device) to provide an alert tocomputing device 120 of a construction supervisor who may be remotelylocated from the job site. The worksite monitoring software application,for example, may be used and controlled by a contractor or manager.Further, the MDM 104 may issue a localized warning, for example via aspeaker element of the MDM 104 or via the interim communication unit, toremind the worker 102 and/or to draw the attention of another worker atthe job site.

In preferred embodiments, the MDM 104 has a durable exterior casedesigned to withstand rugged environmental conditions, including highlyvariable temperatures and rain, while the exterior case as well as theinternal circuitry is designed to prevent damage to the components fromdampness, overheating, shock and/or vibration. The exterior case of theMDM 104, in preferred embodiments, is designed to easily attach andremain locked in position to safety equipment such as a lifeline. Forexample, the MDM 104 may be tamper-resistant such that, after connectionto the safety equipment, a worker cannot readily detach the MDM 104 and“trick” the system (e.g., place the MDM 104 in a pocket). However, sincesafety equipment such as lifelines have a limited period of utility, inpreferred embodiments, the MDM 104 is further releasable and replaceableon another item of safety equipment.

In some implementations, the MDM 104 includes a tamper-resistant lockingmechanism to releasably lock the MDM 104 to safety equipment such as alifeline. The tamper-resistant locking mechanism may be designed to besimple for a manager to attach while requiring specialized (e.g., notcommonplace) equipment and/or information to detach. The lockingmechanism, in illustration, may function similar to a padlock or acombination lock. In another illustration, the locking mechanism mayinclude an electronic lock triggerable using a communication signalgenerated by a worksite monitoring software application installed on acomputing device including a short-range wireless antenna. In a furtherillustration, the locking mechanism may be a tamper-proof hardware-basedlocking mechanism such as a security screw, safety screw, pin, or rivetwhich can be set using a standard tool (e.g., screwdriver) but requiresa specialized tool for removal. The locking mechanism may, for example,include a back plate that releasably connects to the MDM 104 using oneor more tamper-proof locking mechanisms. In another example, the lockingmechanism may include a clasp or clamp. The clasp or clamp itself, insome embodiments, is set in place using the tamper-proof hardware-basedlocking mechanism.

As shown in FIG. 1A, the worker 102 is wearing a safety harness 106. Thesafety harness 106 is tethered to a section of a roof 110 via a lifeline108 connected at one end to the safety harness 106 at the other end to arope portion of an anchor point 112 on the roof 110. The MDM 104 a, asillustrated, is connected to the anchor point 112 (e.g., below areleasable clamp). As the worker 102 tiles the roof 110, the lifeline108, and thereby the anchor points 112, is jostled by the activity. TheMDM 104 a contains at least one motion detector for detecting the motionof the anchor point 112, thereby ensuring that the lifeline 108 isappropriately connected to the safety harness 106 and to the anchorpoint 112. As an alternative, an MDM 1002, safety harness 106, andlifeline 108 may be arranged in the manner illustrated in the embodimentof FIG. 10 . In accordance with that embodiment, the lifeline 108 may beconnected to a harness ring 1004 of the safety harness 106 by a fastener1005 of lifeline 108, in which case MDM 1002 may be connected to thesafety harness 106 proximate the harness ring 1004.

The MDM 104 a, in some implementations, includes a radio frequencytransceiver, such as a Bluetooth transceiver, for communicating with aportable computing device 114 a carried by the worker. As illustrated,the portable computing device 114 a is a smart phone. In otherembodiments, the portable computing device 114 a is a smart watch,tablet computer, or other Wi-Fi and/or Internet-enabled (e.g., cellularservice-enabled) device. In further embodiments, the portable computingdevice 114 a may be a two-way radio unit, a Bluetoothcommunications-enabled construction helmet, or a Bluetoothcommunications-enabled hearing protection headset. An application 116executing on the portable computing device 114 a, for example, may beconfigured to receive motion indicator messages (or messages indicatinglack of motion) from the MDM 104 a.

In some implementations, the application 116 executing on the portablecomputing device 114 a intercepts an RF broadcast message transmitted bythe RF transceiver of the MDM 104 a or receives a directed RFcommunication from the MDM 104 a and translates the message into anindication of motion or lack thereof. The application 116, in turn,issues a message 122 including motion information regarding the MDM 104a for receipt by a worksite monitoring application 124 executing on theconstruction supervisor's computing device 120. The message 122, forexample, may be transmitted via Wi-Fi or cellular network for receipt bythe computing device 120. The computing device 120 may be located, insome examples, at a different job site, in a main office, or anotherremote location.

The message, in some embodiments, includes additional information addedby the application 116 such as, in some examples, a location of theportable computing device 114 a (e.g., as obtained through a GPSreceiver), an identifier of the worker associated with the portablecomputing device 114 a, or movement information of the portablecomputing device 114 a (e.g., as obtained through a GPS receiver)indicative, for example, of traveling to or from the work site.

A manager reviews information presented by the worksite monitoringapplication 124, in some implementations, to ensure compliance of anumber of workers at one or more job sites. As illustrated, the worksitemonitoring application 124 identifies a set of workers 126 at “job siteA” 128 each having been allocated an MDM 130. Status symbols 132identify that there is an alert condition 132 a associated with MDM0,allocated to “Alex M”.

In some implementations, beyond presenting information on the computingdevice 120, the worksite monitoring application 124 may issue one ormore alerts to a supervisor such as, in some examples, a text messagealert directed to a telephone number of the supervisor, an email alertdirected to an email account of the supervisor, or an audible and/orhaptic alert generated by the worksite monitoring application 124 on thecomputing device 120. Upon receiving such an alert, the supervisor maycall the worker or another team member at the job site, visit the jobsite, or otherwise take action to ensure compliance with safetyrequirements at the job site.

Turning to FIG. 1B, in a second system 140, rather than communicatingwith the portable device 114 a carried by the worker 102, in someembodiments, a MDM 104 b is configured to communicate via acommunications transceiver, such as an optical cable transceiver, a wirecable transceiver, or a short-range RF transceiver with a CentralCommunication Module (CCM) 114 b positioned either in range of shortrange wireless transmitters of multiple MDMs at the job site or withindistance for wired connection to optical cables or wired cablesconnected to each MDM.

Unlike the MDM 104 a of FIG. 1A, in some embodiments, the transmissionrange of the MDM 104 b is greater to reach the CCM 114 b. For example,the MDM 104 b may include a Wi-Fi transceiver for communicating with theCCM 114 b. Thus, the CCM 114 b may be located within Wi-Fi communicationrange of the MDM 104 b.

In some implementations, the CCM 114 b is connected to each MDM 104 bvia a wired connection for both communication and to provide power toeach individual MDM 104 b. In this manner, the MDM 104 b may require nobattery or a limited internal power supply.

The CCM 114 b may be located in a central location at the job site suchas, in some examples, in an attic of the building, on the groundproximate the building, or attached to the building (e.g., hanging fromthe front doorknob like a realtor key box, etc.). In another example,the CCM 114 b may be retained in or integrated into a portion of theconstruction equipment. For example, the CCM 114 b may be in a vehiclebelonging to the construction company or integrated into the dashboardcomputing system of the vehicle.

The CCM 114 b, in some embodiments, includes a software application forgathering transmissions from multiple MDMs such as the MDM 104 b andforwarding information from the MDMs 104 b to the worksite monitoringapplication 120. The software application, similar to application 116 ofFIG. 1A, may be configured to receive motion indicator messages (ormessages indicating lack of motion) from the MDM 104 b. The softwareapplication, for example, may be a portable computing device app such asa cell phone app. Further, the software application may be configured toreceive motion indicator messages from up to twelve or more MDMs 104located at a job site. The CCM 114 b, in some embodiments, includes acellular transceiver for forwarding MDM motion information 122 regardingthe communications received from the MDM 104 b (and other MDMs) to theworksite monitoring application 124. The MDM motion information 122 mayinclude one or more transmissions as received from the MDM 104 b. Inother examples, the MDM motion information 122 includes metrics derivedfrom the signals supplied by the MDM 104 b. The MDM motion information122 may include additional information such as, in some examples,location information derived from a position sensor of the CCM 114 b(e.g., GPS receiver), motion information regarding motion of the CCM 114b (e.g., indicating the CCM 114 b is on the way to or returning from thejob site rather than being positioned at the job site), oridentification of individuals allocated each MDM, such as the MDM 104 b.For example, a supervisor may supply information, via a user interfaceof the CCM 114 b or another portable computing device in communicationwith the CCM 114 b, linking a particular MDM 104 b to a particularindividual.

In some embodiments, the CCM 114 b is designed as a durable,weather-resistant communications box for placement proximate thebuilding. The CCM 114 b, for example, may include only simple I/Oelements (e.g., power button, lighted status indicator, etc.) or no I/Oelements (e.g., a black box configured for wireless communication andsetup by a separate computing device such as a smart phone application).In other implementations, the CCM 114 b is a portable computing devicerunning an application for communicating with MDMs such as the MDM 104b. The portable computing device may be secured in a durable,weather-resistant carrier.

Turning to FIG. 1C, a block diagram illustrates an example system 170for monitoring activity at a number of job sites 172 a-c via a worksitemonitoring application 172 executing on a supervisor's computing device174. Workers at each job site 172 a-c may be provided individual MDMs176 attached to lifelines, for example as illustrated in FIGS. 1A and1B. The MDMs 176, as illustrated, may issue communications received by aCCM 182 a,b (e.g., via Wi-Fi) or portable computing device 184 a,b(e.g., via Bluetooth). The CCM 182 a,b and portable computing devices184 a,b then forward MDM information transmissions 178 a-g to theworksite monitoring application 172 via a network 180 (e.g., theInternet, a cellular communications network, etc.). The communications,for example, may be provided from the MDM 176 to the CCM 182 or portablecomputing device 184 and therefrom to the supervisor computing device174 via the network 180 as described above in relation to FIGS. 1A and1B. Although illustrated as a block of information transmissions 178traveling through the network 180 to the supervisor computing device174, this illustration is for convenience purposes only, andtransmissions may be issued at various times from different CCMs 182and/or portable computing devices 184 of the system 170.

Although illustrated as a mixed system supporting communications fromboth portable computing devices 184 and CCMs 182, in otherimplementations, all job sites 172 a-c may either be issued CCMs 182with Wi-Fi enabled MDMS 176 or Bluetooth-enabled MDMs 176 for use withpersonal computing devices (e.g., workers' smart phones).

As illustrated at a first job site 172 a (e.g., row 186 a of a graphicaluser interface of the worksite monitoring application 172 presented on adisplay of the supervisor computing device 174), two MDMs 176 b, 176 care positioned on a roof top of the house (e.g., 14 Cherry Lane), whilea third MDM 176 a is positioned on the ground next to the house. Alifeline having MDM 176 a attached to it, for example, may have beenleft by a worker who is working on the roof of the house withoutappropriate safety equipment. As illustrated on the supervisor computingdevice 174, an alert is presented in the first row 186 a associated withthe job site 172 a, identifying that the MDM 176 a is not in motion.

A similar positioning is illustrated at a second job site 172 b, whereMDM 176 e is illustrated as being in a position on the ground away fromthe house but within range of a CCM 182 b. However, in thiscircumstance, the worker may be equipped with a lifeline and accessingadditional roofing materials to transport to the roof, since theworksite monitoring application 172 is not identifying an alert in thissituation.

In some implementations, a supervisor at the computing device 174selects one of the rows 186 a to obtain a user interface presentationsimilar to the GUI illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B of the worksitemonitoring application 124.

Turning to FIG. 1D, in some implementations, the MDM 104 is releasablypositioned in a holder 194, such as a pocket, that is attached to orbuilt into the lifeline 108. Releasably connecting the MDM 104, forexample, may provide the opportunity for easy charging, for example byremoving all MDMs 104 from harnesses and arranging them in a chargingpod or them setting on a wireless charging pad when not in use. Forexample, as illustrated in FIG. 8 , MDM 802 includes a wireless charger804 for charging a rechargeable battery 806. The power provided by therechargeable battery 806 may then be fed into a voltage regulator 822for powering an internal power supply 820. The functionality of theinternal power supply and voltage regulator, in an illustrative example,are discussed in relation to the rechargeable battery 306, internalpower supply 320, and A/D converter 322 of FIG. 3 as well as therechargeable battery 426 and internal power supply 430 of FIG. 4 .Rather than physically locking the MDM 104 into position, in suchembodiments, the lifeline 108 or holder 194 includes an identificationelement 192 for detecting insertion of the MDM 104 into the holder 194.The identification element 192 may be fixed upon or within the lifeline108. In some examples, the identification element 192 is mounted withinthe holder 194 with adhesive or epoxy.

In some implementations, the MDM 104 includes a sensor or scanner forobtaining information from the identification element 192. Asillustrated in FIG. 8 , in some embodiments, a chip scanner 830 isprovided in the MDM 802 for scanning an identification chip 832 withinthe holder 194. The information scanned by the chip scanner 830 is thenprovided to processing circuitry 810 for analysis. For example, the MDM104 may include a radio frequency (RF) sensor, and the identificationelement 192 may be a passive radio frequency (RF) tag or microchipprogrammed with identification information. In another example, theidentification element 192 may be a microchip with a contact pininterface, such as a chip commonly used in credit cards, and the MDM 104may include a chip reader. Further to this example, the holder 194 maybe configured to accept the MDM 104 in a certain orientation to assurecontact between the chip reader and the identification element 192. Inother implementations, the MDM 104 may include a contactless scanner,such as a laser scanner, and the holder 194 may be configured to acceptthe MDM 104 in a certain orientation to ensure alignment between thescanner and the identification element 192.

In some implementations, the identification element 192 includes anidentification code, such as a multi-digit numerical code. Theidentification element 192, in further examples, may include a job sitecode, a contractor group code, and/or a type code indicating a type ofsafety harness. The identification element 192 may be programmable, forexample using a software application installed by a contractor, to storeinformation that uniquely identifies the safety harness.

Returning to FIG. 1C, in some implementations, the MDM information 178includes at least a portion of the identification information read byeach MDM 176 from a corresponding identification element 192. A portionof the identification information, for example, may be visible to thecontractor at the worksite monitoring application 172.

Turning to FIG. 2A, a flow chart illustrates an example method 200 fordetecting motion using an MDM such as the MDM 104 a of FIG. 1A, the MDM104 b of FIG. 1B, or the MDMs 176 of FIG. 1C. The method 200, forexample, may be performed at least in part by example circuitryillustrated in FIG. 3 , FIG. 4 , and/or FIG. 8 , described in greaterdetail below.

In some implementations, the method 200 begins with determining whetherthe MDM is deployed at the job site (202). For example, the MDM may bepowered off or disabled during storage and transit to conserve battery.The MDM, for example, may be powered by one or more off-the-shelfbatteries, such as AA batteries. In another example, the MDM may bepowered by a replaceable, rechargeable battery or battery unit. Thus,determining deployment may be as simple as being powered on. Forexample, as illustrated in FIG. 3 , a block diagram of example MDMcircuits illustrates an on/off switch 302 for powering the MDM 300.Conversely, the MDM may be connected to a charging unit during storageto recharge a rechargeable battery, such as a lithium-ion battery orcell phone battery. Thus, determining deployment may involve determiningthe charging port lacks connection to a power source. For example, asillustrated in FIG. 3 , a charging port 304 provides a conduit forcharging a rechargeable battery 306 of the example MDM 300 that suppliespower to an internal power supply 320. The internal power supply, inturn, may power the circuit via an A/D converter 322.

In some embodiments, a Wi-Fi enabled MDM may wake upon recognizingavailability of a CCM, such as the CCM 114 b of FIG. 1B. The MDM, forexample, may be designed to periodically ping for a response by a CCM.In other embodiments, the process may begin with the MDM detectingmotion (e.g., when it is first loaded up for transport to the job site).For example, as illustrated in FIG. 3 and FIG. 8 , the example MDMincludes a motion detector 308 (808) such as an accelerometer 808 a or agyroscope 808 b for detecting movement of the lifeline the MDM isattached to.

In some implementations, the MDM activates a monitoring timer (204). Themonitoring timer may be set to a threshold period of time fordetermining whether or not a worker is wearing the lifeline to which theMDM is attached. For example, while a worker may stand stillperiodically, a lack of substantial motion for a threshold period oftime may be indicative of the lifeline having been left off of theworker's safety harness. The threshold period of time, in some examples,may be at least 10 seconds, between 10 seconds and 15 seconds, orbetween 15 and 20 seconds. Substantial motion, for example, may relateto motion beyond mere vibrational motion of lying on a running vehicle,a roof being worked on, or another surface which may be jolted, bounced,or otherwise moved from time to time. As illustrated in FIG. 3 , aconditioning circuit 310 (e.g., processing circuitry 810 of FIG. 8 ) maybe used to translate signals from the motion detector 308 intoindications of motion or no motion (e.g., as visually presented, in someembodiments, using indicator lamps 312 a, b). The motion detector 308,in a preferred embodiment, includes a microelectromechanical (MEMS)accelerometer. In other embodiments, the motion detector includes a MEMSgyroscope. A MEMs gyroscope, for example, has a better low frequencyresponse but is noisier than an accelerometer. In further embodiments,the motion detector 308 includes a mercury-filled tube or a containerwith a floating conductive ball that touches contacts.

If threshold motion is detected (206), in some implementations, thetimer is reset (208). Conversely, if threshold motion is not detected(206) for an entire length of the monitoring timer (210), in someimplementations, an alarm is activated on the MDM (212). The alarm, forexample, may include an audible alarm, such as an audible alarm 314 ofthe example MDM 300 of FIG. 3 . In further examples, the alarm mayinclude a haptic alarm such that a worker may sense the alarm in a noisywork environment and/or a visual alarm, such as a flashing lightdisplay, an internal or external glowing light (e.g., LED strip thatmodifies a look of the MDM 300).

In some implementations, the MDM broadcasts an alert via acommunications transceiver (214) regarding lack of motion. The alert, asdescribed in relation to FIG. 1A, may be a Bluetooth communicationintercepted by a portable computing device 114 a. In another example,the alert may be a Wi-Fi communication received by a CCM 114 b, asdescribed in relation to FIG. 1B. In a further example, the alert may bea communication received by the CCM 114 b via a physical connection,such as an optical fiber or wired cable. As illustrated in FIG. 3 , thealert may be transmitted by a radio frequency transceiver 316 via aninternal RF antenna 318 (e.g., transceiver 816 and antenna 818 of FIG. 8).

Although described as a particular series of operations, in otherimplementations, steps of the method 200 may be performed in a differentorder, or certain steps may be performed in parallel. For example, thealarm may be activated on the MDM (212) at the same time that the alertis broadcast via the short-range wireless communication (214).Additionally, one or more steps may be removed or added without alteringthe intent of the method 200. For example, the MDM may activate uponpower switch activation (204) without determining (202) if the MDM isdeployed at a job site. In a further example, rather than or in additionto broadcasting an alert via the communications transceiver (214), inother embodiments, the MDM may broadcast a confirmation of motionperiodically via short-range wireless communication. For example, whilethe CCM may receive alerts regarding MDMs not in motion (e.g., thesystem configuration of FIG. 1B), when the lifeline has been left unwornby a worker, the MDM may be out of range of Bluetooth communication withthe worker's cell phone and, thus, the broadcast alert (214) may neverbe received in the system configuration of FIG. 1A. Therefore, in thesystem of FIG. 1A, the MDM may instead periodically (e.g., once everytimer cycle) indicate that it is in active motion. Therefore, when theworksite monitoring application 124 receives no indication from the MDM104 a of FIG. 1A, the worksite monitoring application 124 may assumethat the lifeline 108 is not in use. Other modifications of the method200 are possible.

In some implementations, an MDM, such as the MDM 104 a of FIG. 1A, theMDM 104 b of FIG. 1B, or the MDMs 176 of FIG. 1C, includes, in additionto motion detector 308, one or more detection circuits of differingtypes adapted to operate in either a non-redundant or redundant capacityin relation to the function of motion detector 308. The MDM, in someembodiments, includes one or more proximity sensors, preferably, one ormore inductive-type proximity sensors.

FIG. 10 illustrates a block diagram of example apparatus 1000 formonitoring safety apparel compliance in a roofing worker 102 using anMDM 1002 having an inductive proximity sensor 1003 adapted to confirmphysical attachment between respective attachment features of thelifeline 108 and the safety harness 106. Generally, the inductiveproximity sensor 1003 is configured to perform non-contact detection ofconductive (e.g., metallic) objects by generating a high-frequencyelectromagnetic field within its sensing range to induce an inductioncurrent (or eddy current) in a metal object as it enters the field andtranslating the resulting induction effects into information in the formof an electric signal indicating the presence and/or movement of theobject.

Referring to the block diagram of FIG. 11 , which illustrates an exampleschematic circuit layout 1100 for an inductive proximity sensor ascontemplated herein, the sensor's electromagnetic field 1102 isgenerated by one or more sensing coils 1103 in an oscillator circuit1104 adapted to generate a sinusoidal output signal in a range between20 and 200 kHz. In some embodiments, the oscillator circuit 1104 isconfigured to generate an output signal in a range between 50 and 150kHz. An induction current induced by the sensor's electromagnetic fieldcreates an opposing field, resulting in load on the oscillator circuit1104 and attenuation of the oscillator circuit's output signal, which isdetected by a detection circuit 1106. The detection circuit 1106, forexample, may detect a reduction in amplitude. An output circuit 1107, insome embodiments, translates detected attenuation into a detectionoutput signal. Other operating schemes contemplated for use hereindetect frequency changes to the oscillator circuit's output signal.

Returning to FIG. 10 , in the illustrated embodiment, lifeline 108 isconnected, at a distal end, to an anchor point on a building structure(not shown) and, at a proximal end, to a metal harness ring 1004 ofsafety harness 106 by a fastener 1005. Both harness ring 1004 andfastener 1005 may be composed of an appropriate conductive material,including, in some examples, steel, aluminum, copper, or conductivenonmetal materials, such as conductive polymers. In a preferredembodiment, harness ring 1004 is made of a non-magnetic steel material,whereas fastener 1005 is fabricated using a magnetized steel material.The fastener 1005 of the illustrated embodiment is a snap hook typefastener. However, other suitable mechanisms of attachment arecontemplated for use herein.

As illustrated in FIG. 10 , in some embodiments, the inductive proximatesensor 1003 is mounted on the outside of the housing of the MDM 1002. Inthis configuration, as illustrated in FIG. 11 , the MDM 1002 and theinductive proximate sensor 1003 are arranged on the safety harness 106proximate the harness ring 1004 in a manner such that the inductiveproximate sensor 1003 is disposed within sensing range of the harnessring 1004. In other embodiments, the inductive proximity sensor 1003, inillustrative example the one or more sensing coils 1103, is inmechanical contact with the harness ring 1004.

In some implementations, MDM 1002 is configured to receive detectionsignals from the output circuit 1107 through a wire connection providedbetween MDM 1002 and inductive proximate sensor 1003. In someembodiments, MDM 1002 includes processing circuitry configured totranslate detection output signals from the output circuit 1008 intodeterminations of compliance, e.g., connection or no connection betweenthe lifeline 108 and harness 106. In still other embodiments, MDM 1002includes processing circuitry configured to process detection outputsignals from the output circuit 1107 to generate instructions. Forexample, the processing circuitry may generate an alarm instruction inthe case of a signal indicating no connection. The processing circuitrymay also process detection output signals to combine correspondingconnection information and motion information into a singlecommunication, e.g., for purposes of comparison, verification,validation, and/or error detection. In other embodiments, the outputcircuit 1107 may include processing circuitry configured to translatedetection output signals from the output circuit 1107 intodeterminations of compliance, where no further signal processing isperformed by MDM 1002.

In some implementations, a communication transceiver of MDM 1002 may beconfigured to broadcast connection information including or translatedfrom detection output signals from the output circuit 1107 through acommunication module, such as the various communication means disclosedin connection with MDM motion information, herein. In that regard, thecommunication transceiver of MDM 1002 may be configured to broadcastconnection information to one or more portable computing devices and/orremote computing devices disclosed for use in connection with MDM motioninformation. Conversely, in some embodiments, any aforementionedportable computing device or remote computing device may be configuredto receive, process, monitor, translate, display, store and/or transmitsuch connection information. In some examples, various computing devicesdescribed herein may be used to ingest the connection informationbroadcast by the MDM 1002 for use in relation to safety monitoring,compliance status, comparison, verification, validation, and/or errordetection.

In some implementations, the inductive proximate sensor may beoperationally and/or physically disassociated from the MDM 1002. Forexample, the inductive proximate sensor may be incorporated in aseparate module, which may also house, in some examples, a power source,processing circuitry and/or a broadcast transceiver and antenna. To thatend, a module housing an inductive proximate sensor, e.g., inductiveproximate sensor 1003 of FIGS. 10 and 11 , may be configured tobroadcast connection information including or translated from detectionoutput signals from the output circuit 1107, without involvement of theMDM. In an illustrative example, a module housing the inductiveproximate sensor may be configured to broadcast connection informationincluding or translated from detection output signals from the outputcircuit 1107 directly to a cell phone or other mobile computing devicecarried by the worker. In illustration, the output circuit 1107 mayissue a Bluetooth signal within receiving range of the mobile device ofthe worker, and the mobile device may relay the at least a portion ofthe information received via the Bluetooth signal to a remote monitoringcomputer, for example over a Wi-Fi network or cellular network. In someimplementations, a module housing the inductive proximate sensor isaffixed at a separate location from the MDM. For example, the modulehousing the inductive proximate sensor may be affixed to harness 106,whereas the MDM 1002 is affixed to lifeline 108.

Referring to FIG. 12A, in some implementations, a system for monitoringsafety apparel compliance includes, in addition to one or more detectioncircuits, the use of connectors with break-away function between thelifeline 108 and the attachment point of the safety harness 106. In theillustrated embodiment, a breakaway connector 1202 bridges an electricalcable 1203 having a mounting tab 1204 a connecting one end of theelectrical cable 1203 to fastener 1005 of the lifeline 108 and amounting tab 1204 b connecting an opposite end to the harness ring 1004of the safety harness 106. In this configuration, breakaway connector1202 is adapted to break a circuit connection, and thus generate analarm or other indicator signal, in the event fastener 1005 of lifeline108 becomes unexpectedly disconnected from the harness ring 1004.

Referring to FIG. 12B, in some implementations, the system formonitoring safety apparel compliance includes an RFID monitoring systemfor verifying compliance with the attachment of the lifeline 108 to theharness 106 worn by a worker. In the illustrated embodiment, an RFID tag1206 is attached to the lifeline 108 at a point near or adjacent thefastener 1005, and is configured to track, by an RFID reader 1208, aposition and/or distance of the fastener 1005 relative to the RFIDreader 1208. The RFID tag 1206, in some embodiments, is an ultrahighfrequency, passive RFD tag having a frequency range between 800-1000 MHzand read range of about up to 25 meters. In other embodiments, the RFIDtag 1206 is a high frequency, passive RFID tag having a frequency rangebetween 3 to 30 MHz and a read range of about up to 2 meters. In someembodiments, a set of RFID receivers (not shown) is positioned about anarea of a job site to create an RFID coverage zone encompassing a rangeof movement of RFID tag 1206 on lifeline 108. In certain of theseembodiments, each of the set of RFID receivers is configured to receiveRSSI signals from RFID tag 1206 and relay the signals to a remotemonitor having a processor programmed to translate the RSSI signals intoa position of the RFID tag 1206 within the coverage zone. Positiontranslation, in an illustrative embodiment, may be accomplished using aEuclidian distance algorithm. Changes to the obtained position of theRFID tag 1206 may be indicative of movement of lifeline 108 caused byattachment to harness 106. In other embodiments, the RFID receiver 1208is a cell phone device programmed with RFID reader software and carriedby the worker, where program logic of the RFID reader software isconfigured to read an RFID tag within a limited read range (e.g., basedon a communications range, such as that of a near field communication(NFC) protocol), where the location of the RFID tag within the readrange of the RFID reader may be indicative of attachment of the lifeline108 to the harness 106.

Turning to FIG. 2B, a flow chart illustrates an example method 220 formonitoring signals from an MDM using an application executing on a smartphone type device. The application may be installed by or on behalf ofan employer for assuring compliance of a worker with donning requiredsafety equipment. The method 220, for example, may be executed at leastin part by the portable computing device 114 a of FIG. 1A. Althoughdescribed in relation to a smart phone, in other embodiments, theportable computing device may be a smart watch, Bluetooth-enabledheadset, Bluetooth-enabled two-way radio, or other construction sitecommunication equipment configured to execute an application to relayinformation to a worksite management system.

In some implementations, the method 220 begins with detecting that anMDM is within range of a short-range wireless receiver of the smartphone (222). For example, the application may detect a short-rangewireless signal such as a Bluetooth broadcast from the MDM's antenna.The antenna, for example, may be the internal RF antenna 318 of the MDM300 of FIG. 3 or the RF antenna 818 of the MDM 802 of FIG. 8 .

In some implementations, the monitoring application is activated on thesmart phone upon detecting the MDM (224). The monitoring application,for example, may associate an identifier received from the short-rangewireless broadcast with the holder of the smart phone. In this manner,the monitoring application may proceed to monitor for signals from aparticular MDM, thus avoiding reporting information regarding a nearbyMDM of two workers in close proximity. In another example, themonitoring application may increase a listening period for detecting ashort-range wireless signal from the MDM from a wake-up period to amonitor period. In a further example, the monitoring application maybegin a timer tracking a length of time without receiving a signal fromthe MDM (e.g., a signal carrying a same identifier as the original MDMsignal).

In some implementations, the MDM is monitored for remaining in range ofthe smart phone (226). Further to the example above, the application mayensure that one or more broadcast signals from the MDM are detectedwithin the monitoring period established by the monitoring application'stimer.

In some implementations, a motion alert is received from the MDM (228).The MDM may be within range of the smart phone while the safetyequipment is not being properly worn by the worker. For example, theworker may have set the lifeline on the roof and proceeded to workproximate to the lifeline. Alternatively, the worker may have been stillfor a threshold period of time for the motion alert to activate despitethe worker being properly attired in safety equipment. The thresholdperiod of time, in some examples, may be at least seconds, between 10seconds and 15 seconds, or between 15 and 20 seconds.

After receipt of the motion alert (228), in some implementations, analert is activated on the smart phone (230). For example, the monitoringapplication may activate an audible alarm and/or a haptic output toprovide the worker with a reminder to connect the lifeline to theharness. A volume of the alert may be loud enough to draw attention fromnearby workers, such as a lead worker or supervisor on the job. Further,a visual reminder may be displayed on the screen so that, upon reviewingthe cell phone, the worker is presented with a reminder to attach thelifeline to the safety harness.

In some implementations, if the motion alert persists (232) afterproviding the worker with the alert, it is determined whether a networkconnection is available (234). The network, for example, may be a Wi-Finetwork or cellular network connection to the Internet. The network, forexample, may be the network 180 of FIG. 1C. If no network connection isavailable at the time (234), the method 220 may continue to monitor forthe MDM within range of the smartphone (226). At times, a job site maybe outside a range of a worker's cellular service. In thesecircumstances, there may be no opportunity for providing real-timealerts. Alternatively, there may be a temporary loss of service, forexample due to a local cellular network failure.

If a network connection is available (234), the alert is provided to amanagement application (236) for review by a contractor or othersupervising personnel. The management application, for example, may bethe worksite monitoring application 124 described in relation to FIGS.1A and 1B or the worksite monitoring application 172 described inrelation to FIG. 1C. The management application, further, may issue analert to the contractor or other management personnel through anothercommunication means, such as email or text message.

In some implementations, after providing the alert (236), the method 200returns to monitoring for signals from the MDM (226).

In some implementations, if no motion alert is received within athreshold period of time (228), yet the smart phone continues to detectsignals from the MDM (238), the method 200 continues to monitor forsignals from the MDM (226).

However, in some implementations, if no motion alert is received and thesmart phone ceases to detect the MDM (238), an alert and/or a requestfor check-in is activated (240). The alert and/or request may beactivated after a threshold period of time without detecting a signalfrom the MDM. The threshold period of time, in some examples, may be atleast 5 seconds, between 5 seconds and 10 seconds, or between 10 and 20seconds. The alert, in some examples, may include an audible alarmand/or haptic output for drawing the worker's attention to the phone.The alert, for example, may include a ringtone or shrill alarm tonedrawing the worker's attention to the phone. Further, a visual requestfor response or check-in may be displayed on the screen so that, uponreviewing the cell phone, the worker is presented with a reminder toattach the lifeline to the safety harness and/or a request to submit areason for the removal of the lifeline (e.g., bathroom break, lunchbreak, trip to gather additional materials, etc.). For example, theworker may be provided a number of selectable reasons for the removal ofthe MDM.

In some implementations, if the worker does not respond to the alert(242) and a network is available (234), an alert is provided to thecontractor's management application (236) as described above. The workermay be deemed to have failed to respond, for example, if no motion isdetected from the lifeline for a threshold period of time and the workerdid not submit a valid response for the lifeline having been removed.The threshold period of time, in some examples, may be at least 2minutes, at least 3 minutes, or between 3 minutes and 5 minutes. Inother examples, the threshold period of time may be at least 10 minutes,between ten minutes and 15 minutes, or over 15 minutes. The thresholdperiod of time, in some embodiments, is a user-configurable parameter.For example, a contractor or manager may choose a reasonable period oftime for flagging a failure of a worker to respond.

If, instead, the worker responded appropriately (242), in someimplementations, the method 220 returns to monitoring for signals fromthe MDM (226).

Although described as a particular series of operations, in otherimplementations, steps of the method 220 may be performed in a differentorder, or certain steps may be performed in parallel. For example, inother implementations, the alert is provided to the managementapplication (236) at the same time that the alert is activated on thesmart phone (230). Additionally, one or more steps may be removed oradded without altering the intent of the method 200. For example, insome embodiments, rather than or in addition to activating an alertand/or requesting a check-in (240), a currently location of the smartphone is detected to determine whether the smart phone is within ageo-fenced region of the job site (e.g., on or next to the building) asopposed to a separate location (e.g., in truck eating lunch, gatheringadditional equipment or materials, etc.). In another example, in otherembodiments, whenever an alert fails to be issued due to networkunavailability (234), the alert is maintained by the application forlater transmission (236) to the management application. For example, themethod 220 may periodically attempt re-sending the alert, even after awork period (e.g., when the smart phone returns to cellular servicerange when driving back from a job site) to ensure the managementapplication is up to date regarding non-compliance events. Othermodifications of the method 220 are possible.

Turning to FIG. 2C, a flow chart illustrates an example method 250 formonitoring signals from an MDM using an application executing on acentral communication module (CCM). The application may be installed byor on behalf of an employer for assuring compliance of one or moreworkers with donning required safety equipment. The method 250, forexample, may be executed at least in part by the CCM 114 b of FIG. 1B.

In some implementations, the method 250 begins with activating a localnetwork (252). For example, the CCM may function as a Wi-Fi hot spot forestablishing communications between the CCM and a set of MDMs withinrange of the CCM. In another example, the CCM may activate a Zigbeenetwork or other localized IOT network with one or more in-range MDMs.Activating the local network may further involve issuing a broadcastrequest for response from one or more in-range MDMs.

In some implementations, if one or more MDMs are detected within range(254), monitoring is activated for the N number of MDMs (256). The CCMmay detect a short-range wireless signal such as a Wi-Fi signal from theMDMs, for example, as described in relation to the CCM 114 b of FIG. 1Bdetecting a signal from the MDM 104 b. The signal may identify aparticular MDM using a device identifier. Upon identifying the signal,the MDM may activate a timer for monitoring continued broadcasts fromeach MDM of the N number of MDMs detected. The timer, for example, maybe set to a threshold period of time such as, in some examples, lessthan 5 seconds, between 5 and 10 seconds, or up to 20 seconds. In otherimplementations, rather than activating monitoring a broadcast, the MDMsets a polling period for actively polling each MDM to ensure the MDMcontinues to be within range of the CCM.

In some implementations, a motion alert is received from one or more ofthe MDMs (258). The motion alert, for example, may be broadcast asdescribed in relation to step 214 of FIG. 2A. The motion alert, in oneexample, is issued by the RF transceiver 316 of FIG. 3 via the internalRF antenna 318 (e.g., the transceiver 816 and RF antenna 818 of FIG. 8).

In some implementations, if a network is available (260), an alert isprovided to a management application (264). The network, for example,may be a Wi-Fi network or cellular network connection to the Internet.The network, for example, may be the network 180 of FIG. 1C. If nonetwork connection is available at the time (260), an audible alert maybe activated on the CCM (262). At times, a job site may be outside arange of cellular service for the CCM, or a local Wi-Fi data connectionmay be unavailable. Alternatively, there may be a temporary loss ofservice, for example due to a local cellular network failure. In thesecircumstances, there may be no opportunity for providing real-timealerts. An audible alert may provide local recognition to the problem.The audible alert, for example, may be activated by a speaker element ofthe CCM. The audible alert may issue for a period of time. Conversely,the audible alert may issue until one of the workers deactivates thealert through a control button feature on the CCM.

If, instead, the network is available (260), in some implementations,the alert is provided to a management application (264) for review by acontractor or other supervising personnel. The management application,for example, may be the worksite monitoring application 124 described inrelation to FIGS. 1A and 1B or the worksite monitoring application 172described in relation to FIG. 1C. The alert may be included in MDMmotion information 122. The alert, in some embodiments, includesinformation such as, in some examples, a location of the CCM (e.g., asobtained through a GPS receiver), an identifier of the MDM associatedwith the alert, and/or movement information of the CCM (e.g., asobtained through a GPS receiver or accelerometer) indicative, forexample, of traveling to or from the work site. The managementapplication, further, may issue an alert to the contractor or othermanagement personnel through another communication means, such as emailor text message.

In some implementations, whether or not a motion alert was received(258) and whether or not the network is available (260), it isdetermined whether the signal from one or more of the MDMs was lost(266). For example, the CCM may fail to receive poll responses and/orbroadcasts from one or more of the MDMs. This may indicate, in someexamples, that the MDM is out of range of the CCM, powered off, ormalfunctioning.

If no signal has been received from one or more of the MDMs (266), insome implementations, it is determined whether a network connection isavailable (268). The network, for example, may be a Wi-Fi network orcellular network connection to the Internet. The network, for example,may be the network 180 of FIG. 1C. If the network connection isavailable (268), in some implementations, an unresponsivenessnotification is provided to the contractor's management application(270) for review by a contractor or other supervising personnel. Themanagement application, for example, may be the worksite monitoringapplication 124 described in relation to FIGS. 1A and 1B or the worksitemonitoring application 172 described in relation to FIG. 1C. Theunresponsiveness notification, in some embodiments, includes informationsuch as, in some examples, a location of the CCM (e.g., as obtainedthrough a GPS receiver), an identifier of the MDM associated with thealert, a time of last signal received from the MDM, and/or movementinformation of the CCM (e.g., as obtained through a GPS receiver oraccelerometer) indicative, for example, of traveling to or from the worksite. The management application, further, may issue a notification tothe contractor or other management personnel through anothercommunication means, such as email or text message.

Whether or not a network connection was available (268), in someimplementations, the method 250 returns to monitoring for motion alerts(258) and/or lost signals (266) from the MDMs.

Although described as a particular series of operations, in otherimplementations, steps of the method 250 may be performed in a differentorder, or certain steps may be performed in parallel. For example, inother implementations, the alert is provided to the managementapplication (264) at the same time that the audible alert is activatedon the CCM (262). In another example, in further implementations, themethod 250 may monitor for motion alerts (258) before or in parallelwith monitoring for lost signals from one or more MDMs (266).

Additionally, one or more steps may be removed or added without alteringthe intent of the method 200. For example, in other embodiments,whenever an alert or unresponsiveness notification fails to be issueddue to network unavailability (260, 268), the alert or unresponsivenessnotification is maintained by the application for later transmission(264, 270) to the management application. For example, the method 250may periodically attempt re-sending the alert or unresponsivenessnotification, even after a work period (e.g., when the smart phonereturns to cellular service range when driving back from a job site) toensure the management application is up to date regarding non-complianceevents. In an example involving physically connected MDMs, the steps ofactivating the local network (252) and detecting MDMs in range of theCCM (254) may be removed. Further, the step of receiving the motionalert (258) may involve receiving, via a fiber optic or wired cable, thealert. Other modifications of the method 250 are possible.

Turning to FIG. 4 , a circuit diagram illustrates circuit components ofan example Motion Detector Module (MDM) 400. The circuit componentspresent an illustrative design for implementing the components presentedin the diagram of the example MDM 300 of FIG. 3 (and/or the MDM 802 ofFIG. 8 ). The MDM 400, for example, includes components appropriate forimplementing the MDM 104 a of FIG. 1A, designed for functionality withthe application 116 executing on the portable computing device 114 aworn or carried by a worker.

The MDM 400, as illustrated, includes a 3-axis accelerometer 402 (e.g.,a type of the motion detector 308) with x, y, and z outputs. The 3-axisaccelerometer, for example, may be obtained in the form of acommercially available integrated circuit, such as an ADXL335 devicemanufactured by Analog Devices. The accelerometer, for example, mayprovide a separate voltage output corresponding to the acceleration inthe respective x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis direction. The acceleration,for example, measured in gravitational force (e.g., g-force or g's). Insome implementations, the movements of a worker, as translated intocorresponding movements of a lifeline attached to the worker's safetyharness, typically provide outputs on all three axes. Typicalaccelerations may be in the range of 0.1 g to 3 g. In the exampleembodiment using the ADXL335, this acceleration range would providevoltage levels up to approximately 1.5 V. The accelerometer, in someembodiments, is tuned for both gain (or sensitivity) and bandwidth. Thetuning characteristics, in one example, may depend in part upon theparticular safety equipment being used. For example, a weight of thelifeline, length of the lifeline, and/or connection point of thelifeline to the safety harness may all cause variations in the motionsof the lifeline caused by movements of a worker. The gain (sensitivity)and/or bandwidth, in some embodiments, are adjustable based upon theparticular safety equipment being used.

As illustrated, the outputs of the accelerometer 402 (i.e., x-axis,y-axis, and z-axis) are provided to a series of comparators 404 a, 404b, and 404 c, respectively. The comparators 404, for example, may bepart of the conditioning circuit 310 of the MDM 300 of FIG. 3 . Thecomparators 404, for example, is each designed to a voltage threshold432 to reduce vibrational and small movement noise and therebyconcentrate on movements corresponding to motions of the worker (e.g.,at 0.1 g or greater in the example above). The threshold voltage 432, insome embodiments, is selected to reject very low levels of motion, suchas might be encountered if the lifeline the MDA 400 has beendisconnected from the velocity harness and is lying on the roof where itmay experience small acceleration forces produced, in some examples, byfootsteps from workers, hammering, wind, or other extraneous forces. Thethreshold voltage 432 may be on the order of about 0.3 VDC, although thevalue in each of at least one axis or across all axes may be varied toprovide improved noise immunity or other performance enhancements.

Each comparator 404 provides a pulse output when the analogaccelerometer voltage exceeds the voltage threshold. Turning to FIG. 5 ,an example timing diagram 500 illustrates a series of pulsesrepresenting motion outputs for each of an x-axis 502 a, a y-axis 502 b,and a z-axis 502 c sensor circuitry portion (e.g., outputs of theaccelerometer 402 as thresholded by the comparators 404). Thus, asillustrated, pulses in each of the x-axis 502 a, y-axis 502 b, andz-axis 502 c graphs signifies that motion is present, whereas theabsence of pulses indicates that motion is not present (e.g., motion maybe present in the lifeline, but the threshold voltage, such as athreshold voltage 432 provided to the comparators 404 of FIG. 4 ,rejects low levels of motion). During the course of a typical workday,it is expected that there will be periods of motion caused by the normalwork process, interspersed with periods of no detected motion, as shownin FIG. 5 .

Returning to FIG. 4 , in some implementations, the conditioning circuit310 of FIG. 3 may further include an OR gate 406 to select when any ofthe comparators 404 has detected a motion output greater than thethreshold voltage 432. This is represented in the timing diagram 500 ofFIG. 5 by the “OR” timing graph. In this manner, as long as a thresholdlevel of motion is detected in at least one direction, an indication ofmotion is output by the OR gate 406.

Next, the indication of motion in at least one axis is provided to acounter 410 (e.g., of the conditioning circuit 310) to monitor for alack of motion during a threshold period of time. For example, pauses inmotion are common, as illustrated in the “OR” timing graph of FIG. 5 .However, a sufficient length of time without significant motion (e.g.,without motion having a g-force exceeding the threshold voltage level432) may be indicative of the worker having removed the lifeline. Asillustrated, the counter (e.g., a 12-bit counter) is driven by a clockgenerator 412. The clock generator 412 may run at a constant frequency,for example, of 204.9 Hz.

In the illustrative embodiment, output Q11 434 of the counter 410divides the frequency of the clock generator 412 by 4096, which meansthat the Q11 output 434 will transition from “0” to “1” after 2048 clockpulses, providing a time delay of 10 seconds unless the counter 410 isreset. In other embodiments, different threshold periods of time may beused. A reset input 436 of the counter 410 is connected to the output ofthe OR gate 406 such that, if any significant motion is detected by theaccelerometer 402 (e.g., motion significant enough to be above thethreshold voltage 432 applied to the comparators 404), the second countis reset. Therefore, if no pulses are received from the OR gate 406, apositive voltage (e.g., “1”) will be provided at the output Q11 434.

In the illustrative embodiment, the output Q11 434 is fed back to thecounter 410 to inhibit further counting at this point. For example, the“1” from Q11 is supplied to an inverter 438, translating the positiveoutput to a “0” which is fed into an AND gate 440 along with the outputof the clock generator 412, thereby nullifying a clock input 442 at thecounter 410. Therefore, as long as the output Q11 434 remains at a highvalue (e.g., “1”), the counter 410 remains in a “no motion” state. The“no motion” state will continue until the OR gate 406 supplies apositive value representing significant motion detected at theaccelerometer 402, thereby resetting the counter 410 (e.g., via thereset input 436 of the counter 410).

During the “no motion” state, while the Q11 output 434 of the counter410 is high, in the illustrative embodiment, the output of the counter410 triggers an audible alarm 422 and a “no motion” (e.g., red”) statusindicator lamp 420 (e.g., light emitting diode (LED)). The output of theaudible alarm 422 and/or the “no motion” status indicator lamp 420 maybe signified using a buffer 444. For example, the audible alarm 422 mayissue a loud tone, while the “no motion” status indicator lamp 420remains a solid visual color. Conversely, the buffer 444 may be replacedby a modulating circuit. In the alternative implementation, the outputof the audible alarm 422 may emit a beeping sound or a modulatinglouder/software tone. Similarly, the “no motion” indicator lamp 420 maybe modulated to blink on and off (or brighter and dimmer). In furtherexamples, the audible alarm 422 may include a speaker fed by alarmcircuitry configured to issue a series of tones, an intermittent tone(e.g., “beep”) or even a verbal command (e.g., “connect line toharness”).

Further, during the “no motion” state, while the Q11 output 434 of thecounter 410 is high, in the illustrative embodiment, a short-rangewireless transmitter 414 (illustrated as a Bluetooth transceiver 414) isenabled by the “high” value of the Q11 output 434 tied directly to theBluetooth transceiver 414 (e.g., to an enable gate). The Bluetoothtransceiver 414, when enabled, issues a signal via an antenna 416, suchas an internal RF antenna of the MDM 400. The Bluetooth transceiver 414may be configured to issue a unique identifier associated with the MDM400, such that multiple MDMs at a job site are individuallyidentifiable. In other embodiments similar to the system 100 of FIG. 1A,a range of the antenna 416 is configured to be likely to only receivesignals from the MDM of an application installed on the worker's cellphone rather than other nearby MDMs.

In the illustrative embodiment, once the OR gate 406 again issues anoutput “high” indicative of significant motion detected by theaccelerometer 402 in one or more axes, the counter 410 is reset via thereset input 436, the Q11 output 434 returns to “low”, and the clockinput 442 is enabled by the NOT gate 438 reversing the “low” output fromQ11 and thereby feeding a “high” value into the AND gate 440. Further,the Q11 output 434, tied to the Bluetooth transceiver 414, disables theRF transmission by the antenna 416. The “low” Q11 output 434 furtherdisables the audible alarm 422 and the “no motion” indicator lamp 420.

During the “motion” state, in the illustrative embodiment, the Q11output 434 is further provided to a “motion” indicator lamp 418 via aNOT gate 446 (e.g., a green LED) to provide a status indication that theMDM 400 is active and motion is being detected.

Turning to FIG. 5 , a Q11 Out graph 506 illustrates changes betweenmotion and no motion, each swap to “no motion” being triggered by athreshold period of time 508 a, 508 b (e.g., ten second delay) countedby the counter 410 of lack of significant motion as detected by theaccelerometer 402.

Similar to the MDM 300 of FIG. 3 , in the illustrated embodiment, theexample MDM 400 is powered by a rechargeable battery 426. A chargingport 424 (e.g., universal serial bus (USB) port, mini USB port, or microUSB port, etc.) provides a conduit for charging the rechargeable battery426. The rechargeable battery 426, in turn, supplies power to aninternal power supply 430. In some embodiments, the rechargeable battery426 is a 3.7V 18650 lithium ion battery or a 3V lithium coin cellbattery. In other embodiments, removable batteries, such as two or threeAA or AAA batteries or a single 9 V battery, may be included in theexample MDM 400. In further embodiments, charging may be achieved orsupplemented using a solar charging unit disposed on a surface of theMDM 400. For example, the small solar array may receive charging duringoperation since the worker is positioned on a rooftop, oftentimes infull sun.

Although the conditioning circuit (e.g., comparators 404, OR gate 406,counter 410, NOT gate 438, AND gate 440, and clock generator 412)illustrated in the circuit diagram of the example MDM 400 is embodied indigital hardware, in other embodiments, the functionality describedabove may be implemented using a digital processor and software, aprogrammable logic device (PLD), or an application-specific integratedcircuit (ASIC) to achieve similar results. In embodiments using asoftware-configurable hardware logic implementation, customizations maybe available to the end user (e.g., contractor) for programming movementthreshold(s), period of time for lack of motion, and/or outputparameters (e.g., alarm tone(s) or no tone, indicator lamp settings,information transmitted by the Bluetooth transceiver 414, etc.). Thesecustomizations, for example, may be implemented through a communicationconnection with the charging port 424 and/or via wireless communicationswith the Bluetooth transceiver 414. The management application, asdescribed in relation to FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1C, in some embodiments, maybe configured to supply settings information to one or more MDMs.

In some implementations, rather than supplying an analog output, the3-axis accelerometer may be a 3-axis accelerometer MEMS integratedcircuit (IC) with an internal A/D converter to provide digital outputs.The digital outputs, for example, may be in PC format. When using amotion sensor, such as an accelerometer and/or gyroscope including abuilt-in A/D converter, the conditioning circuit may be replaced with aprocessor programmed to determine whether the digital outputs of theaccelerometer and/or gyroscope are indicative of worker motion. Anexample circuit layout including motion sensors with digital outputs isdiscussed in greater detail below in reference to FIG. 8 .

In further embodiments, the conditioning circuit of the MDM 400 isconfigured to monitor a state of charge of the rechargeable battery. TheMDM circuitry, for example, may be designed to calculate an estimatedremaining operating period of the MDM 400. Further, the transmissionsupplied by the Bluetooth transceiver 414, in some implementations,provides a charge indication in the event of a low charge state. Inanother example, the alarm 422 may be configured to issue a warning toneat a low battery threshold, and/or a further indicator lamp (e.g., ayellow “low charge” indicator lamp or series of indicator lampsillustrating estimated charge level) may be provided to present a visualindication of current charge of the MDM 400.

Turning to FIG. 6 , in some implementations, a system 600 for monitoringsafety apparel compliance in a construction worker 602 using a motiondetection module (MDM) 604 attached to a component of the safety apparelis designed to monitor an elevation of the worker, for example bydetermining which floor (e.g., including the roof) the constructionworker 602 is working on at a multi-story job site. To monitorelevation, the MDM 604 may include barometric pressure sensing circuitryand/or positioning circuitry such as GPS circuitry configured todetermine a current elevation of the worker 602. Example circuitry isillustrated in FIG. 8 , discussed in greater detail below.

As illustrated, in some implementations, to monitor the worker'selevation, an upper reference module 606 a is positioned at an upperposition of the structure (e.g. top floor or roof) and a lower referencemodule 606 b is positioned at a lower position of the structure (e.g.,ground floor). The reference modules 606 may be designed with the samecircuitry as the MDM 604 or may include a simplified version of thecircuitry as the MDMs 604. In some embodiments, one or both of thereference modules 606 includes the circuitry of a Central CommunicationModule (CCM) 114 b (e.g., such as the CCM 114 b of FIG. 1B or the CCM182 a, 182 b of FIG. 1C). The reference modules 606, for example, maycollect reference barometric pressure measurements and/or referencepositioning measurements for use in refining measurements collected bythe MDM 604.

In some implementations, the reference modules 606 are configured tocollect barometric pressure measurements using a MEMS barometricpressure sensor, such as the LPS22HD piezoresistive absolute pressuresensor by STMicroelectronics of Geneva, Switzerland. For changes inelevation or altitude of less than several hundred feet, therelationship between elevation and altitude is approximately linear. Forexample, at altitudes close to sea level, a change in elevation ofapproximately 29 feet provides a change in pressure of approximately 1mbar (also described as 1 hPa). However, a large potential offset erroris present, due to the constant changes in barometric pressure fromatmospheric effects, such as weather change. As the atmospheric pressurevaries, there will be substantially equal variations in the measurementstaken by the reference modules 606 and the MDM 604. Thus, by calibratingthe MDM 604 in view of the base measurements taken at the knownelevations of the reference modules 606, the atmospheric effect offseterror may be nullified. Further, the elevation of the MDM 604 may becalculated by comparing the pressure measurement obtained by the MDM 604to the pressure measurements obtained by the two reference modules 606.

Turning to FIG. 7 , an example method 700 for determining elevation of aconstruction worker using barometric pressure measurements is presentedin a flow chart. The method 700, for example, may be performed by acentral communication module such as the CCM 114 b of FIG. 1B or the CCM182 a of FIG. 1C, a barometric pressure measuring reference module suchas the reference modules 606 a, 606 b of FIG. 6 , or a centralapplication such as the worksite monitoring application 172 described inrelation to FIG. 1C. A portion of the method 700 may be performed usinga motion detection module (MDM), such as an MDM 802 of FIG. 8 . Themethod 700 may be performed on a periodic basis. The time period, insome examples, may be about every 2 minutes, about every 3 minutes, orbetween 3 minutes and 5 minutes. In other examples, the time period maybe around 10 minutes, between ten minutes and 15 minutes, or after 15minutes. The time period, in some embodiments, is a user-configurableparameter. For example, a contractor or manager may choose a reasonableperiod of time for monitoring which floor a construction worker isworking on.

In some implementations, the method 700 begins with installing a lowerreference module at a lowest elevation of the job site (702). In someexamples, this may be a ground floor, a ground surface (e.g., where theground elevation is parking and/or open space with the buildingpositioned on top of the parking/open area), or a “walk out basement”floor where the construction is built into the side of a hill. The lowerreference module, for example, may include at least a portion of thecircuitry of the MDM 802 of FIG. 8 .

In some implementations, an upper reference module is installed at ahighest elevation of the job site (704). The highest elevation, forexample, may be a top floor or a rooftop of the job site. Asconstruction proceeds and additional floors are added, in someembodiments, the upper reference module may be moved and/or anotherreference module may be added. The upper reference module, for example,may include at least a portion of the circuitry of the MDM 802 of FIG. 8.

In certain embodiments, a reference module is provided at every N^(th)floor and/or at every N^(th) elevation (e.g., feet, meters) from a belowreference module. For example, one or more floors may be interpolatedwith reasonable accuracy, but this accuracy may not be achieved reliablyacross more than a certain number of floors (e.g., greater than oneinterpolated floor, greater than two interpolated floors, greater thanthree interpolated floors, etc.). An illustrative example, provided inthe table below, demonstrates the number and potential placement ofreference modules per building height if the desired accuracy leads to amaximum of two interpolated floors between reference modules. Theplacement can depend in part upon the height of the various floors. Forexample, in a hotel with a two-story lobby region on the first floor,the next reference module may be placed at the second or third floors(e.g., elevation-wise the third and fourth floor height).

TABLE 1 Number of Floor Floor Floor Floor Floor Floor Floor Floor Floors1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1 2 X X 3 X X 4 X X 5 X X X 6 X X X 7 X X X 8 X X X X

In some implementations, job site barometric pressure measurements arereceived from each sensor carried or worn by each worker at the job site(706). The sensor, for example, may be built into an MDM such as the MDM802 of FIG. 8 . The barometric pressure measurements, for example, maybe measured by a barometer 826. The processing circuitry 810 of the MDM802 of FIG. 8 , for example, may collect barometric pressuremeasurements and supply the measurements externally via the RFtransceiver 816 and RF antenna 818. The barometric pressuremeasurements, for example, may be collected periodically (e.g., at leastonce per minute, at least once per every five minutes, about 4 or 5times per hour, etc.). The barometric pressure measurements, forexample, may be transmitted along with an identification of each device(e.g., motion detection module (MDM)). The identification, for example,may be provided by a module ID unit 828 of the MDM 802, as illustratedin FIG. 8 . In some embodiments, additional information is provided withthe barometric pressure measurements such as, in some examples, atimestamp, a temperature, and/or a position (e.g., job site indicator,GPS measurement, etc.). The temperature, for example, may be measured bythe barometer/temperature sensor 826 of MDM 802 of FIG. 8 and positionmeasurements may be provided by a GPS location processor 824 of the MDM802 of FIG. 8 .

In some embodiments, a set of barometric measurements is received andprocessed to determine a sample barometric pressure measurement. Thesample barometric pressure measurement, in some examples, represents acombination of the set of barometric pressure measurements (e.g.,average, mean, median, etc.). In some examples, the set of barometricpressure measurements are processed to remove outlier data (e.g., linearregression, removal of readings X psi away from a median barometricmeasurement, etc.). In other embodiments, the processing circuitry 810may combine pressure measurements prior to transmission during periodiccollection.

In some implementations, reference barometric pressure measurements arereceived from the lower reference module and the upper reference module(708). The reference barometric pressure measurements may be measured bythe MEMs barometer, which, for example, has a rated absolute accuracy of0+/−0.1 mbar (2.9 ft). In addition to reference barometric pressuremeasurements, in some embodiments, the upper and lower reference modulesprovide additional information such as, in some examples, locationinformation, identification information, a temperature measurement, atimestamp, and/or battery charge information. The reference barometricpressure measurements may be issued periodically, for example every 15seconds, at least once per minute, at least once every 5 minutes, one tofour times per hour, or at least once per hour. In another example, thereference barometric pressure measurements may be issued responsive toreceiving at least one transmission from a motion detector module (MDM)or other device carried by a worker. Further to this example, while noworkers are active on a site, the lower reference module and the upperreference module may conserve battery by ceasing communications. Thelower reference module and the upper reference module, in this example,may transmit reference barometric pressure measurements on a same periodas the sensor carried or worn by the worker.

In some embodiments, a frequency of transmission is established toconserve battery so that the lower reference module and upper referencemodule seldom require charging (e.g., about every other day, about everythree days, about once per week, etc.). The frequency, in some examples,may depend on the amount of energy required to transmit measurements,the battery capacity, the type of wireless transmitter (e.g., BlueTooth,Wi-Fi, CAT Ml, etc.), and/or the operating distance of the wirelesstransmitter. Thus, several factors may contribute to identifying atransmission frequency and/or charging frequency. The transmissionfrequency and/or operating distance (e.g., operating mode), in someembodiments, may be at least in part user selectable.

In some implementations, an atmospheric pressure offset is calculatedusing the reference barometric pressure measurements (710). As theatmospheric pressure at the job site varies due to changes in theweather, this will cause equal variations in the measurements in thereference modules as well as the worker MDMs. Thus, the drift componentsmay be removed through identifying a common drift within the referencebarometric pressure measurements.

In some implementations, if the atmospheric pressure offset is differentthan a default offset (712), each job site barometric pressuremeasurement is calibrated using the atmospheric pressure offset (714).For example, the MDM barometric pressure measurements may be adjusted bythe drift component.

In some implementations, a present elevation of each job site barometricpressure sensor is calculated using the calibrated barometric pressuremeasurements (716). For changes in elevation or altitude of less thanseveral hundred feet, the relationship between elevation and altitude isapproximately linear. For example, at altitudes close to sea level, achange in elevation of approximately 29 feet provides a change inpressure of approximately 1 mbar (i.e., 1 hPa).

In some implementations, each job site elevation is converted to acorresponding floor of the job site structure (718). As a worker movesfrom one floor to another, the measured barometric pressure of theworker's MDM will vary accordingly at about a rate of 0.1 mbar for each2.9 feet. Thus, with knowing the number of feet between each floor(e.g., based upon wall heights per floor) and the ground referenceelevation, the elevation measurements may be converted to a floor.

Although described as a particular series of operations, in otherimplementations, there may be more or fewer operations. For example,reference pressures may be calculated based upon a series ofmeasurements obtained over a threshold time period and then used tocalibrate (714) each job site barometric pressure measurement. Inanother example, rather than using just the lower reference module andthe upper reference module to calculate the atmospheric pressure offset(710), the offset may be derived from a series of reference measurementstaken from reference modules distributed at intermediate floors as well,as described above in relation to table 1. Further, in certainimplementations, the job site elevations may not be converted to acorresponding floor (718). For example, in the circumstance of a toweror other structure lacking distinct floors (e.g., Statue of Liberty,Eiffel Tower, Space Needle, etc.), the elevation may be tracked ratherthan floor of a building. Other modifications of the method 700 arepossible.

FIG. 9 is a diagram 900 representing example measurements collected inrelation to an individual wearing an MDM during a day of work,illustrated on a timeline of 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Portions of the diagram900, for example, may be available to a supervisor or contractor. Forexample, a portion of the contents of the diagram 900 may be presentedby the worksite monitoring application 124 described in relation to FIG.1A and FIG. 1B or the worksite monitoring application 172 described inrelation to FIG. 1C. As illustrated, the diagram 900 illustrates aworker time clock graph 902, a location graph 904, an upper baselinebarometric measurement graph 906 a, a lower baseline barometricmeasurement graph 906 b, an MDM barometric measurement graph 908, an MDMmotion measurement graph 910, and a temperature graph 912. The diagram900 further includes a series of notes 914 identifying eventscorresponding to changes in various graphs 902, 904, 906, 908, and 910.In the lower right corner, an identification block 916 identifies theworker as J. Williams, the date as Jul. 20, 2020, the serial number ofthe MDM as 007235, and the employer as Acme Construction.

As identified by the notes 914, the worker arrives at work 914 a andpunches in with the time clock (902) at the work site (location 904).The MDM is connected to a lifeline prior to about 7:30 AM, asillustrated by the motion graph 910. Based on the upper baselinebarometric measurement 906 a, the lower baseline barometric measurement906 b, and the worker barometric measurement 908, the worker begins theworkday on the first floor of the work site (914 b).

The worker moves to the second floor of the worksite prior to 8:00 AM(914 c). The worker MDM barometric measurements on the worker barometricmeasurement graph 908, for example, have been compensated with the twocorresponding baseline barometric measurements 906 a, 906 b, thusdemonstrating a step movement in barometric pressure when relocatingfrom the first floor of the worksite to the second floor of theworksite.

As evidenced by the motion graph 910, at about 8:45 AM the workerreleases the lifeline (914 d) resulting in a period of violation 918between about 8:45 AM and about 10:00 AM until the motion graph 910 onceagain registers motion of the MDM (914 e). The lack of motion reading910 may be result in an alert presented or transmitted (e.g., via text,email, indication within the screen of the worksite monitoringapplication, etc.) to the supervisor or contractor so that the worker'ssafety violation may be corrected.

Between about 12:00 PM and about 1:30 PM, no motion is registered on themotion graph 910. However, according to the location graph 904, this isbecause the worker is at a restaurant location 904 c on lunch break.Based upon the location 904 c, the lack of motion, in some embodiments,does not result in an alert.

The worker resumes work around 1:30 PM, indicated by both the location904 d and the motion registered on the motion graph 910. At about 3:30,a motion anomaly occurs on the motion graph 910, corresponding to a fall(914 f). At about 4:15, the worker is en route to a hospital in anambulance 904 e, as indicated on the location graph 904.

Reference has been made to illustrations representing methods andsystems according to implementations of this disclosure. Aspects thereofmay be implemented by computer program instructions. These computerprogram instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purposecomputer, special purpose computer, or other programmable dataprocessing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions,which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmabledata processing apparatus, create means for implementing thefunctions/operations specified in the illustrations.

One or more processors can be utilized to implement various functionsand/or algorithms described herein. Additionally, any functions and/oralgorithms described herein can be performed upon one or more virtualprocessors, for example on one or more physical computing systems suchas a computer farm or a cloud drive.

Aspects of the present disclosure may be implemented by hardware logic(where hardware logic naturally also includes any necessary signalwiring, memory elements and such), with such hardware logic able tooperate without active software involvement beyond initial systemconfiguration and any subsequent system reconfigurations. The hardwarelogic may be synthesized on a reprogrammable computing chip such as afield programmable gate array (FPGA), programmable logic device (PLD),or other reconfigurable logic device. In addition, the hardware logicmay be hard coded onto a custom microchip, such as anapplication-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). In other embodiments,software, stored as instructions to a non-transitory computer-readablemedium such as a memory device, on-chip integrated memory unit, or othernon-transitory computer-readable storage, may be used to perform atleast portions of the herein described functionality.

Various aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein are performed on oneor more computing devices, such as a laptop computer, tablet computer,mobile phone or other handheld computing device, or one or more servers.Such computing devices include processing circuitry embodied in one ormore processors or logic chips, such as a central processing unit (CPU),graphics processing unit (GPU), field programmable gate array (FPGA),application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or programmable logicdevice (PLD). Further, the processing circuitry may be implemented asmultiple processors cooperatively working in concert (e.g., in parallel)to perform the instructions of the inventive processes described above

The process data and instructions used to perform various methods andalgorithms derived herein may be stored in non-transitory (i.e.,non-volatile) computer-readable medium or memory. The claimedadvancements are not limited by the form of the computer-readable mediaon which the instructions of the inventive processes are stored. Forexample, the instructions may be stored on CDs, DVDs, in FLASH memory,RAM, ROM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, hard disk or any other informationprocessing device with which the computing device communicates, such asa server or computer. The processing circuitry and stored instructionsmay enable performance of the methods described in relation to FIGS.2A-2C.

These computer program instructions can direct a computing device orother programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particularmanner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readablemedium produce an article of manufacture including instruction meanswhich implement the function/operation specified in the illustratedprocess flows.

Embodiments of the present description rely on network communications.As can be appreciated, the network can be a public network, such as theInternet, or a private network such as a local area network (LAN) orwide area network (WAN) network, or any combination thereof and can alsoinclude PSTN or ISDN sub-networks. The network can also be wired, suchas an Ethernet network, and/or can be wireless such as a cellularnetwork including EDGE, 3G, 4G, and 5G wireless cellular systems. Thewireless network can also include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, or anotherwireless form of communication. The network, for example, may be thenetwork 180 as described in relation to FIG. 1C.

The computing device, such as the portable computing devices 114 a, 114b and 120 of FIGS. 1A and 1B, and/or the computing device 174 of FIG.1C, in some embodiments, further includes a display controller forinterfacing with a display, such as a built-in display or LCD monitor. Ageneral purpose I/O interface of the computing device may interface witha keyboard, a hand-manipulated movement tracked I/O device (e.g., mouse,virtual reality glove, trackball, joystick, etc.), and/or touch screenpanel or touch pad on or separate from the display.

A sound controller, in some embodiments, is also provided in thecomputing device, such as the computing devices 114 a, 114 b and 120 ofFIGS. 1A and 1B, and/or the computing device 174 of FIG. 1C, tointerface with speakers/microphone thereby providing audio input andoutput.

Moreover, the present disclosure is not limited to the specific circuitelements described herein, nor is the present disclosure limited to thespecific sizing and classification of these elements. For example, theskilled artisan will appreciate that the circuitry described herein maybe adapted based on changes on battery sizing and chemistry or based onthe requirements of the intended back-up load to be powered.

Certain functions and features described herein may also be executed byvarious distributed components of a system. For example, one or moreprocessors may execute these system functions, where the processors aredistributed across multiple components communicating in a network suchas the network 180 of FIG. 1C. The distributed components may includeone or more client and server machines, which may share processing, inaddition to various human interface and communication devices (e.g.,display monitors, smart phones, tablets, personal digital assistants(PDAs)). The network may be a private network, such as a LAN or WAN, ormay be a public network, such as the Internet. Input to the system maybe received via direct user input and received remotely either inreal-time or as a batch process.

Although provided for context, in other implementations, methods andlogic flows described herein may be performed on modules or hardware notidentical to those described. Accordingly, other implementations arewithin the scope that may be claimed.

In some implementations, a cloud computing environment, such as GoogleCloud Platform™, may be used perform at least portions of methods oralgorithms detailed above. The processes associated with the methodsdescribed herein can be executed on a computation processor of a datacenter. The data center, for example, can also include an applicationprocessor that can be used as the interface with the systems describedherein to receive data and output corresponding information. The cloudcomputing environment may also include one or more databases or otherdata storage, such as cloud storage and a query database. In someimplementations, the cloud storage database, such as the Google CloudStorage, may store processed and unprocessed data supplied by systemsdescribed herein.

The systems described herein may communicate with the cloud computingenvironment through a secure gateway. In some implementations, thesecure gateway includes a database querying interface, such as theGoogle BigQuery platform.

While certain embodiments have been described, these embodiments havebeen presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit thescope of the present disclosures. Indeed, the novel methods, apparatusesand systems described herein can be embodied in a variety of otherforms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and changes in theform of the methods, apparatuses and systems described herein can bemade without departing from the spirit of the present disclosures. Theaccompanying claims and their equivalents are intended to cover suchforms or modifications as would fall within the scope and spirit of thepresent disclosures.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for verifying a worker positioned on a building structure is compliant in wearing necessary safety equipment, wherein the safety equipment comprises a safety harness configured to by worn by an individual, the safety harness comprising a lifeline attachment feature, and a lifeline configured to connect at one end to an anchoring point on a building structure, and to releasably connect at the other end to the lifeline attachment feature of the safety harness; the system comprising: a motion detector module for attaching to the safety harness at a location proximate the lifeline attachment feature, the motion detector module comprising a motion sensor configured to generate signals representing detected motion, processing circuitry configured to detect, from the signals of the motion sensor, safety harness motions indicative of at least one of i) the safety harness being worn by the individual, or ii) attachment of the safety harness to the lifeline, and timing circuitry configured to determine a length of time between detecting consecutive safety harness motions; a communications transceiver; and processing circuitry configured to receive, via the communications transceiver, a plurality of motion sensor signals related to the safety harness motions, and translate one or more of the plurality of motion sensor signals into compliance information, the compliance information comprising information indicative of compliance or noncompliance of the individual with at least one of a) wearing the safety harness or b) securing attachment of the safety harness to the lifeline. 